The Tale of the Grandson of Mor'du
by ItachiBlack
Summary: Kailen was destined to bring back people to his clan by ending the reign of terror of his grandfather, Mor'du. During his journey, the Will O' the Wisps leads him to a young lass, a princess, named Merida. He is destined to fight and she is only beginning to understand her destiny. How will their fates intertwine and bring back peace to their beloved country? Rating will change.
1. Chapter 1

_**The Tale of the Grandson of Mor'du**_

Throughout Scotland, nearly every child knew the legend of Mor'du as every parent passed down the 'legend' to the next generation. Thus, everyone was familiar with the story of the wild and savage beast, a grand and dangerous bear, named Mor'du, who attacked indiscriminately. A part of the legend stated that the beast was once the eldest son and prince of the original Scottish Royal Family. However, his greed and arrogance to rule the land lead the prince down a vicious path of destruction and blood shed. But that's all it was passed down as, a legend meant to teach people to be humble.

Unlike the others, it was simply not a legend for a particular lad named Kailen Abernathy.

Alas, it was the dark history of his blood lineage. He was taught by his father when he was around the tender age of six that the deadly monster which lingered in the dark woods was his grandfather. It was a secret only the people of the Abernathy Clan knew and they all perceived it to be a horrendous curse. It shamed their once almighty and noble clan, particularly his family. It was destined for Lord Abernathy to end the curse. Until that fateful day, their clan became wonderers- nomads of the vast and mountainous land of Scotland, hidden from the social norms.

This made his clan to specialize in horse-back riding, hunting, fighting, and tracking. In fact, Kailen learned the ancient ways of his family tradition- he was taught dual-fighting since the age of four. He specialized in dual sword fighting, but he was also talented with different combative arts, such as archery, fist-fighting, and lance-throwing. It was something his father took a particular pride in as his only son was brimming with talents for fighting and horse-back riding. Of course, as a young and naïve boy, he never understood the shame of being the descendent and heir to the Abernathy Clan. Neither did he understand the importance of learning how to fight and defend himself and his people.

Furthermore, he never hated his past until he was a ten year old child. Due to their prophecy and responsibility for their people, his father ceaselessly pursued after his grandfather across the land. Unfortunately, his father was evidently not the destined saviour for their clan as Kailen learned that his grandfather, Mor'du had murdered his father.

He wept over his father's death and he became the next Lord Abernathy. Therefore, he now carried the responsibility to hunt down his grandfather and bring an end to the chaos Mor'du was spreading. It was a duty which was on his mind everyday and from time to time, he would ride his black horse, Trahern and simply aim around the forest with his companion. It was on such days he felt at ease and today was one of those days.

Kailen rode Trahern in the lush forest until he saw the Will O' the Wisps for the first time. His mother taught him that they were to be trusted as they were helpful tiny spirits who were willing to guide people to their true purpose.

He lightly squeezed the horse's side and followed them until they disappeared and at the end of their trail stood a young lass with fiery hair. He called out, "Lassie, what is your name?"

She replied, "My father, the King, tells me not to give my name to those who don't give their name first."

He frowned by her stubbornness to give her name and to hear that there was another man leading their country. The little lass was the princess, is she? He pondered. He replied, "Kailen is my name, dearest Princess, and I am twelve years of age."

She nodded and curtly responded, "My name is Merida and I am nine years of age, Lord Kailen."

He shook his head side to side. He followed the wisps and they led him to this girl. He snorted and said, "Well then, t'is nice to meet you. I shall be going, Princess Merida."

She cocked her head as he turned around with his horse. Before she could say anything more, he sauntered away on his mount. As they went deeper into the forest, he suddenly heard a ghastly and loud growl rumble throughout the forest. He muttered, "Mor'du!"

Thus, he kicked Trahern toward the thunderous roar and unsheathed his swords. He would take revenge against his grandfather for his father's death!


	2. Chapter 2

**_The Tale of the Grandson of Mor'du_**

"Merida, how many times have I told you? You need to wake up early as the princess." Her mother scolded her this morning, like every morning, as she neatly hung the curtains. The golden rays illuminated the room while Merida rubbed her eyes.

For some odd reason, she had a dream from her childhood. It was the day when she met a very tall and lean lad, clad in a navy blue and black tartan robe, a leather armor protecting his chest, and a black linen woven into a belt to hold his long swords. She remembered him for a very long time because he looked very different than the men from her mighty clan. Unlike most Scottish men, his skin was much tanned as if he spent most of his days in the wilderness and his wavy black hair was tied loosely. However, the feature that she remembered the most were his eyes. They were pitch black, but they lit brightly with ferocity, pride, and strength. Those eyes peered into hers as if he could see everything.

She remembered those haunting eyes for many weeks. Of course that wasn't a long period of time, but for a young child, weeks seemed like eternity. She hadn't thought of him for several years, but this morning, she did remember his handsome face. But what was his name again? She couldn't recall.

She asked her mother, "Mum, do you remember the day I met the Will-O' the Wisps for the first time?"

Queen Elinor replied, "Of course, I do. It was your birthday!"

Merida cautiously asked her mother as she slowly got out of bed. "Was there a lad there?"

Her mother's lips thinned which was never a good sign from her experience. Nevertheless, her mother answered, "There was a lad and he is the one who saved your father that day from that hideous beast!"

As the princess was making her bed, she stopped and frowned. She knew of her father's legendary battle with Mor'du. For her and her mother's sake, her father stayed behind to fight the bear. He fought bravely, though he did lose one of his legs to the beast. It was the story everybody knew of, including herself. There was no mention of a boy who saved the king's life.

For some reason, she felt a pang of anger as she flared, "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

The Queen calmly said, "Merida, a princess does not raise her voice. And you never asked about this lad."

Merida asked, "Do you remember his name?"

Elinor replied, "Your father and I wanted to know who he was, but the young lad chased off Mor'du into the woods. Then he never returned. So we never knew of his name. That was all there was to it. It doesn't need any further questioning. Now. You need to go study. A princess must be wise and knowledgeable about her own nation. Meanwhile, I must go send some important letters."

Merida heaved a long sigh. Clearly her mother had no interest in continuing their discussion and whatever her mother had to do was not of her interest.

* * *

Meanwhile, in a small village, another mother came running out of her small wooden house. She ran out to greet her son who only came to visit their village once every new moon. It didn't please her as she missed her son dearly. However, she couldn't complain as her son was the leader of their clan and he had his own duty to vanquish the evil bear. It worried her greatly and each time he mounted his stallion. She would smile bitterly and try not to shed a tear as he kissed her on the cheek before softly kicking the horse to move forward. However, today wouldn't be such a lonesome day since he would soon arrive.

She waited at the gates, which was made of large boulders, along with the others. There was no doubt that they also wished to meet their young lord. He had been gone for a very long time. They waited for half an hour until they saw a young man charging across the slopes with his black mount. The people cheered to see him safe and his mother ran a couple of steps forward until Kailen and his horse, Trahern. He quickly jumped off Trahern as the horse slowed his speed and ran up to his beloved mother.

The young man smiled gently and embraced her. He said, "I have returned, Mother."

She looked up at her only son who had become to resemble his deceased father. He was a very handsome young man. Kailen was now seventeen years of age. He was now much taller than her and he had grown a short beard and muscular.

She softly answered, "Welcome home, love."

It was always a relief to have him return home. Despite his age, he had become a wonderful leader for the clan. She did not know how Kailen felt whenever he returned to their village, but she knew that he did it for her sake and for his people. Kailen would come to check the state of his clan and to reassure his mother. It was something his father never did due to the obsession of slaying Mor'du. It was something that wounded not only Kailen, but her as well.

She remembered the events which followed after her husband's death. It all began during the winter of seven years ago. Kailen's father went to hunt after his own father during the fall. Then he never returned even after the season had changed and fresh snow started to cover the mountains. It was very ominous and strange so their men went to find Lord Abernathy. They found him long dead in the woods by the frozen lake. The news made her fall to her knees and weep on the floor. Then she feared over her son as the rest of the clan began to look at Kailen as the next prophet to kill his own grandfather.

It was a horrid thought, but everyone pointed at the boy, crying it was his destined fate. Kailen was their new leader of the Abernathy Clan. She was helpless to prevent or change the fate. It was her duty to educate her son of their shameful past while the men took their turns to train him to be fit to fight the monster. The lad was already talented, but he was quickly forced to become the best by the time he turned the age of twelve.

Thus, he inherited the title as Lord Abernathy at the age of twelve and began his journey to battle the bear. During the search, he also decided to build a small village for their clan to stay. Of course, they have adopted the nomadic lifestyle over the years, but he argued that they still needed a temporal home. They were free to hunt, travel, and trade, wherever they pleased. However, if they needed shelter or help, they were always welcome to stay at the village.

To start this project, Kailen had traveled across the country to deliver the news to his people. It wasn't a popular idea at the beginning as they already had a homeland- a homeland which was lost, but still theirs. Nevertheless, Kailen and some families united to built a small village at the foot of the mountain where there was a vast plain on the horizon, mighty mountains behind to shield them, and a thick forest around them to keep invaders out. Their environment allowed them to hunt in the woods and the mountains while fishing by the riversides in the plains. Over the years, nearly all of members came and took refuge with the others. Indeed, it was a huge accomplishment that nobody had dreamed of.

This earned Kailen everyone's respect and admiration. He proved himself to be a fit leader of their clan and the people adored him wholeheartedly. It was evident as everyone eagerly welcomed him at the foot of the gate. Men and women all hugged him while Kailen picked up the children one by one. It made Lady Abernathy's heart swell with pride. Yes, he had become a wonderful man.

It was only after the sun had set, their village truly turned festive. All the men went to hunt hares and deers while the women cooked a variety of dishes. By dinner time, the long table was overflowing with shortbreads, haggis, stovies, dried and fresh fruits, along with freshly picked nuts. It was a grand feast for everybody to enjoy. The burning hearth also made the atmosphere more lovely.

Kailen was seated as the head of the table while the rest of the men sat along the side of the table. They would discuss the affair of their village. Then they would laugh as the young lasses, the daughters of the men, dance and sing for their entertainment. Meanwhile the young lads would play fight with their wooden swords and wrestle with each other near the fire until their mothers would come and scold them.

It was during the meal when one of the man asked, "Lord Abernathy, how has your conquest been this month?"

Kailen gulped down the content of his goblet and looked up at the curious men and women. Of course, they would be delighted to hear that he had finally managed to kill Mor'du, but it was no easy task. Unable to give the desired response, he answered, "It was sixteen days ago when I faced the monster. I managed to wound the beast, but it was not fatal... and Mor'du also managed to wound me this time."

He stood and revealed his left shoulder which was carefully wrapped with bandages. Kailen slowly removed them to show a horrid gash which ran down up to his chest. It was healing, but there was still some rawness remaining. It was a sight which made most of the men cringe and the women to hustle the children out of the large house. Nobody uttered a word and neither did Kailen because they all sensed the disappointment lingering in the air. It was another month of failure and another wound for Kailen.

Then another man spoke up, "Lord Abernathy, this may sound like a poor advice, but why not seek help from Lord Fergus?"

At his words, most men immediately hissed in disapproval. One shouted, "Do you have no faith in Lord Abernathy? He can slay Mor'du on his own! It's his destiny!"

Another cried, "The reason why we remain secluded is because other clans blame ours for splitting the country! If they knew Lord Abernathy is the grandson of Mor'du, they would undoubtedly harm him!"

The third shouted, "In fact, Lord Abernathy should be the current King of Scotland! He has the lineage which shows that he is the true heir to the throne!"

More men rumbled indistinguishable angry shouts. Kailen sat and watch the men shout at each other while he remained mute in thought. He have heard lots of legends circulating around the man. He have also met the man several years ago. It was the first year he started to track after Mor'du. He had followed the Will-O the Wisp and met a young lass with fiery hair. The princess of Scotland, he scoffed.

How surprised he was to watch Mor'du stalk after the lass and then attack an innocent family. Admittedly, he was terrified when he laid eyes on his grandfather for the first time in his life. He had heard that he was massive and vicious. However, Mor'du was three times bigger than an average man and twice as tall. His claws and teeth were sharp and large as spearheads and when the monster roared, it even made the ground tremble with fear.

He stalled while the red-headed warrior roared back and charged towards the monster fearlessly. It was only after his grandfather sank his teeth into the man's leg, Kailen found enough rage to charge out of the forest with his swords ready to swing down upon the bear. When Lord Fergus cried in great agony, Kailen could only see an image of his father dying alone. Even though Lord Fergus lost to his grandfather that time, it was the only time Kailen met a man brave enough to fight the monster.

Throughout the chaotic dispute, he heard his mother say something. So he shouted, "Silence!"

At once, the room became silent and all the men stared at him. Then his mother said, "The Queen has sent out invitations to the nobles several days ago, including ours."

Kailen frowned and said, "What do you mean, mother?"

His mother replied, "It is presumable that she sent ours by chance."

He asked, "What did the letter say?"

She answered, "It's time for her daughter to get married so she sent out a letter to every noble families throughout the country. Our name is considered to be a mere legend. Still the woman sent one to us. You are a possible candidate to be her daughter's future husband."

One of the men said, "It could be a way to get close to Lord Fergus."

Second said, "A way for our clan to become royalty again."

Third said, "This may be a golden opportunity."

Everyone gawked at Kailen and he then asked, "So everyone believes this is a good choice? For me to attend this senseless competition."

Slowly, nearly everybody nodded their heads. Then Kailen said, "If I am to go, nearly all of the warriors will come with me. A few will remain to protect the village. We will go as a clan, show our pride and integrity as a noble clan. Is this something everyone will agree to?"

All the male members said, "Aye. Anything for our clan and you, our Lord."

Kailen crossed his arms and stared at them. Then he replied, "Prepare the mounts."

He would go and meet the current Royal Family as Lord Abernathy.


	3. Chapter 3

_**The Tale of the Grandson of Mor'du**_

Merida could feel nothing but embarrassment and anger as she quietly remained seated in the throne room with countless men staring at her with prying eyes as if she was a mere prize to be won. Of course, her mother was simply thrilled to have her wear an elegant, dark teal dress made of the finest cotton. Meanwhile her father looked equally uncomfortable as he paced back and forth with his hounds following after their master.

It was a day that she and her father had dreaded for several days, meanwhile it was a lovely day that had finally come for her mother. Merida could only huff loudly to express her bubbling anger while her mother checked that her husband wasn't bumbling on with his poor speech.

Merida how this betrothal was being forced against her will. She wasn't anywhere near ready to marry anyone especially the young lads who stood stoically next to their fathers. First of all, she didn't know a single thing about them, except their family names, and if it wasn't so un-princess-like for her to tell them that she had zero interest or desire to get to know them before slamming the gates in front of their faces, she would have already done it. They didn't even make any impression on her to be interested.

To be frank, she had countless things she already hated about ridiculous traditions. She hated how she had to wake up early before anyone just because she was the princess. She hated how she had to learn how to sing and dance like a fair maiden and know how to play the lyre and the harp to entertain and attract the lords' attention- as if she wanted their attention! Then she would get in trouble if she chortled or laughed too loudly or ate too much at one seating- and of course, let's not forget her mother's golden rule: a princess should not have any weapons. And this betrothal was the final straw!

She quickly glanced at her brothers who were more like wee devils. Some days she truly envied Harris, Hubert, and Hamish. They could throw rocks at the guests at this moment or start a fire in the village or even murder someone, and they could definitely get away with all of it. The world could be very unjust sometimes.

The Scottish princess continued watch this ridiculous farce of a ceremony. There were three young lords before her: Lord Macintosh, Lord MacGuffin, and Lord Dingwall. The first suitor to step forward was Lord Macintosh. He had unruly black hair like his father and blue war paint adorned his right arm. He could have been described to be handsome by other girls as he was a fairly tall lad with a lean body. Evidently, the weapon of his choice was a sword.

His proud father stated, "Your Majesty, I present my only heir and sire who defended our land from the Northern invaders and with his own sword stabbed and vanquished a thousand foes."

When she stared at the young black-haired lord, he had a very confident smile as he showed off his muscles. It was clear that she felt no attraction to him. He didn't even bother to meet her eyes and all he seemed to enjoy was the adoring attention from his clan. It disgusted her in many ways and the only way to avoid seeing him was to cover her eyes.

The next in line was Lord MacGuffin, whose clan roared in delight. The Lord had a very deep voice which loudly declared, "Your Majesty, I present my eldest son who scuffled the Viking long ships with his bare hands and vanquished two thousand foes."

Merida took a peek at the young blond lord. He was shorter than Lord Macintosh, but a lot more thickened with heavy muscles. Despite the lad's brutish figure, he had a very gentle face of a little boy's and he truly looked timid before the crowd. Instead of uttering a word, he hesitantly snapped a log to display his physical strength which caused a few _oohs and ahhs_ from the crowd. Merida assumed that he was a very sweet lad and potentially a good future husband as her parents always taught her that a man's psychical strength and dueling abilities determined hos worth- especially if he were to become the next ruler to protect their great nation. However, the only thing she could foresee between herself and Lord MacGuffin was a simple friendship.

Finally, it was Lord Dingwall's turn to show his son. Yet after a single glance at the white-haired and aged lord, the only thing she could do was avert her eyes. However, she gave them a chance because Lord Dingwall pointed his hand to a man who had the physical attributes of a bear. Then her expectations immediately deflated as Lord Dingwall pulled his son out of the crowd. Like his father, he didn't have a lot of hair and his form wasn't anywhere near as good as the other suitors. In fact, he looked as if he wasn't even paying attention to the situation.

She groaned as the three lords started to dispute amongst themselves. Yes, she was certain. She was never going to marry any of them. Ever. It was senseless and incomprehensible to understand how a quarrel quickly broke out. All she heard was a war cry and then before her was a dusty ball of men hitting each other like savage beasts. She pondered as she observed the scene: how on earth were they _noble_? They were all proud men for certain, but they all lacked the dignity of her own father.

She groaned loudly and hid her face with her hands. This was a catastrophe and it was all caused by her mother. She glared at her mother who wasn't even staring at her. In fact, her mother also looked disgusted by the scene before her. When her mother finally glanced at her, Merida smirked as if to say: _I told you that the marriage wasn't meant to be,_ while her own father joined the brawl.

Her mother looked very irritated as she rose from her throne. Of course, her mother continued to look regal and proud as she stepped down the stairs. Then to everyone's shock, the wooden doors were kicked open by a black horse's powerful hoof. The men quickly grouped together and pointed their weapons at the unknown group. Merida also came to stand next to her mother as everyone eyed the green banners which had a bear as its coat of arms.

The man on the steed was hooded like the rest of his men and he finally removed the clothing to reveal his ferocious glare.

* * *

Kailen was more than disturbed to see such a chaotic turmoil at the king's court. He eyed each warriors as they looked very scared of his clan. However, that was not a surprise since it was in a man's nature to fear the unknown as he too feared the unknown. He could sense his own warriors, unease as they had their hands over the hilt of their dual swords, spears, and bows.

He loudly ordered, "Do not withdraw your weapons."

Admittedly, he also felt uneasy to be surrounded by so many people. He was more accustomed to a quiet life in the wilderness with Trahern. However, he couldn't display any hesitation or fear before them. He was the leader who represented everybody from his Abernathy Clan. His eyes darted through the messy crowd and he momentarily stared at the young lass next to an older woman, presumably the Queen. His stare only lasted for a few seconds. She had changed from the little girl he had met from many years ago. She actually looked like a princess in her dress. That was somehow disappointing to know that she had changed. She looked like an ordinary woman, a boring woman.

Then he continued to look for the king and it didn't take much time as an enormous man with thick red hair marched to the front of the crowd. He spoke in a commanding voice, "Who goes there?"

Kailen stepped forward and spoke, "It is I, Lord Abernathy."

A hush fell over the crowd. It had been countless years since the name have been uttered. Most of the warriors had heard of the name, but only recognized it from a well-known fable. However, the other lords recognized the name from the history which has been down multiple generations. Frankly, they never believed that such a clan existed in the Highlands, but before them was a living heir of the Abernathy Clan.

Despite countless eyes gawking at him, he did not flinch or cower. He knew what would happen next. They would look at his coat of arms and begin to blame their clan. He waited for that to happen, but the other lords encircled their king, glowering at him.

Lord MacGuffin growled, "Shouldn't you be addressing King Fergus with more respect? You lack discipline, Lord Abernathy."

Kailen ignored Lord MacGuffin and calmly countered, "My clan has never subjugated before Lord Fergus's power, thus, I will only address him as Lord Fergus."

Lord Dingwall branded his spear and demanded, "Are you planning to start a second war? It wouldn't be the first time for your clan to accomplish the task."

Kailen could ignore any ill retorts about himself, but he wasn't going to have anyone dare to insult his clan. He turned to face the men and said, "I have not come here with the intention to start a war and your, lords, accuse me of lacking discipline. However, when I arrived here, I saw a chaotic battle amongst yourselves. You have no control over your own warriors and it was you, Lord Dingwall who have started this silly dispute. You have insulted my clan and threatened me with your mighty spear. It seems to me that you want to start a war with me."

The four lords glared angrily at him, but Lord Dingwall slowly lowered his spear at Kailen's undeniable words. Then Lord Macintosh demanded, "Then what do you seek here, Lord Abernathy?"

He answered, "I was asked to be of presence here by the Queen. I simply came to respond to the invitation."

One of his men brought him the parchment and Kailen showed it to the astonished lords. Then Kailen said, "This is your family seal, is it not? I am permitted to be here and I would have expected a better welcome when I was the young lad who saved your life many years ago, Lord Fergus."

It was almost amusing to watch the king's large eyes widen in surprise and nobody would have expected such a behaviour from a king, but Lord Fergu polietly bowed before Kailen, saying, "What you say is true, Lord Abernathy. You have a warm welcome here."

Almost immediately, the other lords were forced to bow their heads too and Kailen polietly bowed his head in return. Then he and his warriors stepped proudly before the Queen and the Princess. With all the attention placed on him, Kailen kneeled before the ladies as a greeting and said, "I am humbled by your invitation, Lady Elinor. I thank you wholeheartedly."

Then he gave a self-introduction, "Princess Merida, I am Lord Kailen Abernathy. The leader of the Abernathy Clan. I am fortunate to meet you again."

He watched her with bored eyes, but Princess Merida looked stunned to meet the young lord.


End file.
